Sky Welkin “Build As You Grow”

Recently we had the opportunity to do a photo shoot for clothing brand Sky Welkin where photographer Willthashooter captured musician Mackderico sporting two of the brands latest pieces. We also had a chance to speak with Sky Welkin representative Zeke as he discussed some of the garment designs, why people should support Sky Welkin and some of their future plans.

TPP: how has the reception been thus far in 2018 for sky welkin ?

SW: 2018 has been all love thus far. With this being our 3rd active year as a brand, we still feel as though we have to prove ourselves as a solid/serious brand, and we strive to accomplish that task by remaining humble and staying true to the ethic thats gotten us this far. I personally make it a point to thank any and everybody that supports us from liking a picture to copping gear/art, or even telling a friend about us. Overall, our slogan “Build As You Grow” is really a lifestyle itself that like minded individuals that are striving for something can relate to, so we just have to spread that like a gospel. We hear everyday about people who may have never linked up on their own, may see somebody in one of our shirts and can automatically feel comfortable to connect, not because they like the same clothes, but because they have the same mindset.

TPP: Recently sky welkin has had events/happy hours at jhanes, how did that come about ?

SW: Honestly the conventional methods that we tried to use kept getting denied. We had been trying to do Pop Ups at a galleries and stores in the area and after being told so many times we came up with the idea of this experience and Jhane’s said yes. As a lifestyle brand, I feel we owe it to our supporters to bring our brand/style to life. The Happy Hour / Pop Up’s at Jhane’s allows us to provide an experience, not just sell clothes. Its free, the drinks are cheap (and strong lol), there’s blank Sky Welkin art + crayons for people to color and reimagine the art based off of their interpretation & imagination, and you can even play video games all before you step to our merch table. It gives adults a chance to revitalize their youth all the while introducing you to what we’re about. I like to show love to our supporters/newcomers genuinely, so its all about having a good time. We even have a Gold Pin that’ll give you 20% off your Sky Welkin purchase. At the end of the day if nobody came, Id could sit there and play the game as if I was at home lol, but I haven’t met one person that has came out that didn’t love the experience so Im grateful to see such a genuine idea be received to positively.

TPP: How does Sky Welkin feel about competitors both locally & globally ?

SW: Locally, I personally don’t really consider anybody else competition. I say that humbly because most of the people in the area & in the same lane as us are my peers so I’d rather build with them than to compete, or I just do my own thing. I do believe in raising the bar and holding ourselves to a certain standard to inspire those same peers to step it up because ultimately that would make the area itself look better and Im more interested in doing that than to try to compete. The 757 has been long plagued with this crab in a bucket mentality so I just show love and carry on doing our own thing. Even further than that, I invite our “competition” to be apart of events like the Truly Yours, VA Fashion Show to push the idea of us being able to come together to provide the area with a dope experience, as well as start to build a rich history and change the stigma. Globally, I look at the heavy hitters as competition. Its the moves we see from our favorite brands, such as Kith, Gucci, Cav Empt, Futura, Off White, Marcelo Burlon, Cactus Plant Flea Market, Supreme, Bape, Yeezy, Margiela, Valentino, Vetements, and so many more, that we ultimately view as competition because they represent the status quo. On a global scale, we have to convince the people that thirst for those type of brands that the Sky Welkin Brand is worthy of that same level of respect, and I feel that because of the ambiguity of the art + the Build As You Grow lifestyle aspect will translate to all who can relate across the world.

SW: Why shouldn’t somebody support Sky Welkin? What did we do to you? Lol. As I mentioned before, the Build As You Grow lifestyle and the originality of Derek’s art combined presents a positive brand that we hope all can relate to. From birth to death, you should strive to Build As You Grow in order to become the best possible version of yourself with this one life that we have. How could you not support that? The art and ideas that build this brand can last forever, but we not gonna just say it, we’re gonna show you by our ethic and hopefully the will gain your support. If not fine, it cost you nothing to pay us no mind..
For the rest of 2018 and beyond we want to keep pumping out dope lifestyle products as well dope experiences for people to enjoy. There will be another Truly Yours, VA Fashion Show this year April 21st at the Granby Theater. This one will be even bigger and better than last year so Im excited to get started. We will continue to have events at spots like Jhane’s, but I do want to switch up the way we do them so that people that come out will be able to look forward to fresh experiences. As long as the support is there and our momentum keeps building locally and across the country/globe, people can expect things to only get bigger and better so just stay tuned.